This invention relates in general to conveying systems and, more particularly, to a highly reliable and secure system particularly adapted to convey cash boxes between a main station, such as a bank building, and outlying stations, such as automatic teller machines.
Conveying systems have long been used for conveying containers from a central station to other stations, such as for moving cash from a salesman to a cashier in a store, then returning change and a receipt to the salesman, as shown, for example, by Spear in U.S. Pat. No. 505,905, granted in 1893.
Other conveyor systems have been used to move mail from a streetside mailbox to a Post Office as described by Bailey in U.S. Pat. No. 2,900,046 and to move milk, newspapers and the like from a streetside delivery box into a house, as described by Bailey in U.S. Pat. No. 2,904,131. These tend to be cumbersome, have low security and only include two end stations. Reliability of these systems is not high, with a significant chance of jamming along the conveyor.
In recent years simple conveying systems have come into widespread use in banks or other businesses where customers drive up to remote stations and pass cash or articles back and forth to a bank or main building. Typical of these are the systems described by Bavis in U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,824 and Painter in U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,407. While effective for this purpose, these system generally convey only small volumes, typically, checks, cash, deposit slips or the like.
Recently, automatic teller machines (ATM) have proliferated greatly. These generally free-standing machines include a cash box and a withdrawal or deposit system through which a patron can withdraw cash using a debit card or make a deposit, using a keypad to enter a password, the type of transaction desired and amounts involved. Often, these machines are installed adjacent to bank driveways, so that patrons can operate the machine from their automobiles. From time to time it becomes necessary to replenish the cash in the ATM cash box and remove deposit envelopes. In the past, it has been necessary for a bank employee, generally accompanied by at least one guard, to carry a cash box out to the ATM in any weather, open the ATM, exchange boxes or fill the cash boxes with raw cash, lock up the ATM and return to the bank. This is labor intensive, and may result in considerable delays when sensors in more than one ATM signals the need for additional cash and sufficient personnel are not available to service all of them at the same time. Also, security is poor, since the cash box (which is filled with virtually untraceable small bills) is vulnerable during the transfer operation and the ATM itself may not be sufficiently secure, since it must be capable of easy and quick opening and re-locking during the exchange procedure.
Thus, there is a continuing need for improved systems for replenishing such drive-up ATMs. Prior conveyor systems might be adapted to this use. However, prior systems are often complex and cumbersome, subject to breakdowns which might leave a cash box stuck and vulnerable between stations. Many prior systems could not handle the weight and size of the ATM cash box. Also, a highly reliable system is necessary to permit each ATM to be locked securely, such as by a time lock or very sturdy locking arrangements which cannot be quickly or easily defeated. With a very reliable conveying system the down time of the ATM, personal work time and money exposure time will be reduced.